Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high profile female USB connector for mounting to a substrate, such as, without limitation, a printed circuit board (PCB). The high profile USB connector enables components to be placed in front of the female USB connector on the PCB while providing plug and unplug access to the cavity opening of female USB connector by a male USB connector over the components in front of the female USB connector.
Description of Related Art
USB connectors are electrical connectors that are used for networking and computer products such as desk-top computers, laptops, tablets, cellphones, and other products which require connections to peripheral devices. USB connectors are used in many industries.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and communications protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices.
USB was designed to standardize the connection of computer peripherals including keyboards, pointing devices, digital cameras, printers, portable media players, disk drives and network adapters to personal computers both to communicate and to supply electric power. It has become commonplace on other devices, such as smartphones, PDAs and video game consoles. USB has effectively replaced a variety of earlier interfaces, such as serial and parallel ports, as well as separate power chargers for portable devices.
The USB standard evolved through several versions before its official release in 1996: The first version USB 1 (Full Speed) is one type of USB connector. Released in January 1996, USB 1 specified data rates of 1.5 Mb/s (Low-Bandwidth) and 12 Mb/s (Full-Bandwidth). It did not allow for extension cables or pass-through monitors (due to timing and power limitations). Few USB devices made it to market until USB 1.1, released in August 1998, which fixed problems identified in USB 1.0, mostly relating to hubs. USB 1.1 was the earliest revision that was widely adopted.
The second version was USB 2.0 (High Speed) USB 2.0. Released in April 2000, USB 2.0 added higher maximum signaling rate of 480 Mbit/s (effective throughput up to 35 MB/s or 280 Mbit/s) (now called “Hi-Speed”). Further modifications to the USB specification have been done via Engineering Change Notices (ECN). The most important of these ECNs were included into the USB 2.0 specification package available from USB.org.
The third version, USB 3.0, was released in November 2008. The USB 3.0 standard defines a new “SuperSpeed” mode with a raw signaling speed of 5 Gbit/s and a usable data rate of up to 4 Gbit/s. USB 3.0 reduces the time required for data transmission, therefore reducing power consumption, and it is backward compatible with USB 2.0. The USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced on 17 Nov. 2008 that the specification of version 3.0 had been completed and had made the transition to the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the managing body of USB specifications. This move effectively opened the specification to hardware developers for implementation in products. The new “SuperSpeed” bus provides a fourth transfer mode at 5.0 Gbit/s (raw data rate), in addition to the modes supported by earlier versions. As with previous USB versions, USB 3.0 ports come in low-power and high-power variants, providing 150 mA and 900 mA respectively while simultaneously transmitting data at SuperSpeed rates. Additionally, there is a Battery Charging Specification (Version 1.2—December 2010), which increases the power handling capability to 1.5 A but does not allow concurrent data transmission. The Battery Charging Specification requires that the physical ports themselves be capable of handling 5 A of current but the specification limits the maximum current drawn to 1.5 A.
A January 2013 press release from the USB group reveals plans to update USB 3 to 10 Gbit/s to put it on par with other type of emerging connectors like the Thunderbolt® connector. Thunderbolt® is a U.S. registered trademark of Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., Reg. No. 1078726.
There are several types of USB connectors, including some recently added ones. The original USB specification including Standard-A and Standard-B plugs and receptacles; the -B connector enabled cabling to be plugged at both ends while preventing users from connecting one computer receptacle to another. FIGS. 6A-6F show different types of USB-A and -B connectors including standard, mini, and micro types.
The USB type-A plug (FIG. 6A) is a flattened rectangle that inserts into a “downstream-port” receptacle on the USB host, or a hub, and carries both power and data. The USB type-A plug is frequently seen on cables that are permanently attached to a device, such as one connecting a keyboard or mouse to the computer via USB connection.
A USB type-B receptacle (FIG. 6B) has a square shape with beveled exterior corners and is configured to mate with an “upstream receptacle” on a device that uses a removable cable, e.g. a printer. On some devices, the USB type-B receptacle has no data connections, being used solely for accepting power from the upstream device.
The Mini-A plugs (FIG. 6C) and Mini-B receptacles (FIG. 6D) are approximately 3 by 7 mm. These mini-USB plugs and receptacles have a similar width and approximately half the thickness of USB type-A plugs and receptacles, enabling their integration into thinner portable devices.
USB micro-A (FIG. 6E) and micro-B (FIG. 6F) connectors were announced by the USB-IF on 4 Jan. 2007. The Mini-A plug and the Mini-B receptacle were deprecated on 23 May 2007. While many currently available devices and cables still use Mini connectors, the newer Micro connectors are being widely adopted and as of December 2010. The thinner USB micro-A and -B connectors are intended to replace the Mini USB connectors in new devices including smartphones, personal digital assistants, and cameras.
USB connectors are inexpensive, relatively simple to assemble, and easy to plug and unplug. A USB connector typically has a plastic body, with no locking mechanism to lock the male and female into place when connected.
USB female connectors (or receptacles) have socket houses for insertion of male USB plugs to form a connection. The housings are available in many configurations including a one port, multiple ports in a horizontal row, vertical, and stackable connectors which are stacked rows of USB connectors.
Prior art female USB connectors are designed to be mounted adjacent an edge of a PCB to facilitate plugging and unplugging of a mating male USB connector into a cavity opening of the prior art female USB connector, which cavity opening is positioned adjacent the surface of the PCB.